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New Jersey's deepest lake is also its most dangerous

Round Valley Recreation Area in Hunterdon County attracts tens of thousands of people annually to enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities. But odd weather conditions can be treacherous for those caught unprepared or unexperienced.

New Jersey's deepest lake is also its most dangerous

Round Valley Recreation Area in Hunterdon County attracts tens of thousands of people annually to enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities. But odd weather conditions can be treacherous for those caught unprepared or unexperienced.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP – John Gannon always admires the serenity of Round Valley Recreation Area whenever he takes his wife Flo and their family for a leisurely ride on their 18-foot Sylvan boat.

Gannon, a retired marketing/communications executive from Randolph, has been boating at the state's deepest lake since the early 1970s. He's never had a problem on the 55 billion gallons of water that spread out over 2,000 acres located just off of Route 22 until one day last summer.

"It was one of the worst days," he recalled. "The bad weather came up very quickly, within four to five minutes. The warning lights went on so I knew the winds were blowing over 25 miles per hour at this point."

Gannon, who was alone, was at the far end of the reservoir. An experienced boater, he had a quick decision to make. Should he attempt to pull into a cove and wait it out or try to make it back to the boat launch?

He chose the latter.

"The way the rollers were coming at me, I really couldn't pull in anywhere safely," he said, "so it was better to be with the boat and head into the wind."

It took Gannon an hour to make it safely back to shore on a trip he estimates usually takes just 20 minutes.

"And I was working all the way," he added. "It was just a nasty, nasty day. Luckily that's not the norm."

The reservoir, with its deep, cold waters and winds that can gain force on the water and kick-up significant waves, has claimed about 24 lives over its 40-year existence, officials estimate. It is believed that six of those bodies have never been recovered.

In contrast, Spruce Run Recreation Area, located just four miles from Round Valley, doesn't experience the sudden, severe weather conditions Round Valley does. Spruce Run is the third-largest reservoir in New Jersey.

What happens

When winds over 25 miles per hour are present at Round Valley, a lighting system around the reservoir goes off and boaters are required to get to shore.

The sudden, dramatic weather patterns that Gannon experienced are due to the Cushetunk Mountain, said Joe Winnicki, the Acting Central Region Superintendent at the N.J. State Park Service.

"The violent storms that head into the west get hung up in the ridge and create white caps," Winnicki said. "I have personally been out there and in a blink of an eye the rains and the winds come.

"Like anything else, you have to be aware of your surroundings. When you see these imminent conditions coming, you want to get to shore. It's not a fun place to be."

Among the six boaters missing is John Kubu. The Rahway man vanished March 18, 1989 during a fishing trip with Albert Lawson of Linden. Lawson's body was found in 1993.

There have been multiple attempts to find the missing men. Authorities scoured the lake with a submarine in 2006, but no human remains were found.

"That's always in the back of your mind," said Gannon about the missing boaters. "I can't see anyone who goes out there where it's not in the back of their mind."

The latest drowning at the 2,000 acre facility, which also has a campground, hiking and beach area, occurred July 24. The body of Chen Shao, 25, of North Brunswick, was recovered by the state police 150 yards off the shore in 51 feet of water.

Shao was kayaking without a mandated life-preserver on when his boat tipped over. One of the rules for boaters stated on Round Valley's website says each person must have on a wearable Coast Guard-approved Personal Flotation Device. The Coast Guard estimates that life jackets could have saved the lives of over 80 percent of boating fatality victims.

Shao was last seen at 5:30 p.m. the previous day in the water, swimming toward an overturned blue kayak. The boat launch, where the kayaks go into the water, is open 24 hours.

Authorities didn't know what time Shao entered Round Valley. When the idea of limiting the hours available to boaters was brought up as a precaution to limit the loss of life, authorities were adamant about not closing it.

Acts of nature

"Typically when these acts of nature or God happen there is usually sympathy and sadness more than accusations on what we can do," said Mark Texel, director of the Division of Parks and Forestry for the Department of Environmental Protection.

"I have not seen any type of need to change our safety policies. Kayaking has grown exponentially and with the interest in canoeing and kayaking, you have to ask if they are getting the same training as boaters?" he said. "We don't require people to show us the number of hours of water safety training. We have an excellent safety record."

Texel added that "the state would need a considerable amount of resources to enforce the lake full time."

Fishermen like John Gannon say that if you close Round Valley at sundown, you miss the most opportune time to catch the 19 species of fish, including the lake trout and small and large-mouth bass that populate the water.

"You would see a significant drop in recreational value," said Larry Herrighty of New Jersey's Fish and Game Council.

Also, changing the hours for boaters would require re-doing the N.J. Administrative Code, a task that would be a lengthy process, according to Texel.

"Some of the best fishing is after hours," said Gannon. "From my knowledge, the tragedies that occurred have been due to gross negligence and you can't legislate against that.

"The fishermen that come out here are not cowboying or taking chances," he added. "It's just gorgeous out here. The vast majority of the people we see out here are terrific."